Experience w/ Custom 22 artist or McCarty dc245?

Big Ted McCarty fan


Ted-and-the-Singlecut.jpg


My ted dc245
jUq7vBF.jpg
 
dabedat said:
There is still time for anyone who wants to add in their thoughts about the two differences about the guitars and the Dragon II vs 57/08s.
Click to expand...

May I suggest we all back up a step, since we have few more days here …

Guitars are tools for a purpose. Dabedat, what style and kind of music do you like to play? Classic blues rock? Pop and jazz? Heavy chugging high-gain / metal work?

That'll influence which might be the better guitar for you. The Dragon II pickups, which I've not played, might be (I think) better for the hard and heavy stuff. Somebody confirm or contradict me on this.

The 57/08s are terrific, lively PAF style pickups that work great for clean, overdriven and similar tones. I'm a huge fan - because I play clean and lightly overdriven most of the time, with periodic excursions into high-gain leads. The 57/08s do it all, and have earned their terrific reputation. They combine the best of Gibson's Classic 57s and their BurstBuckers.

Here are some interesting discussions from this board, on the topic of Dragons vs McCarty pickups:

https://forums.prsguitars.com/threads/dragon-i-vs-dragon-ii-pickups.16201/

https://forums.prsguitars.com/threads/dragon-pickups-vs-mccarty-pickups.12145/

And over at TGP, if that's allowed here: https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/prs-dragon-ii-pickups.1243149/

For the guitars themselves, there's this discussion on TGP (I hope cross-posting is OK):
https://www.thegearpage.net/board/i...between-the-custom-22-and-the-mccarty.827850/

My experience with the DC 245 Ted was in comparison to a 2009 standard McCarty model, not a CU-22. I loved the Ted 245's thinner body, lighter weight and shorter scale; the 57/08s are terrific. I ended up reluctantly selling the Ted 245 because the thicker McCarty model had more bottom end that I needed for my music. It's not a knock on the Ted 245, since in a band context you might not need or want that low end (fighting the bass and drums). I recall that Ted 245 very fondly.

The Ted 245 is a wonderful guitar but it did not quite meet my musical needs - but it might meet yours. Which leads me back to: Guitars are tools. What will you use it for? Will the CU-22 or the Ted 245 - or a PRS McCarty - suit your music best?

=K
 
Kiwi said:
May I suggest we all back up a step, since we have few more days here …

Guitars are tools for a purpose. Dabedat, what style and kind of music do you like to play? Classic blues rock? Pop and jazz? Heavy chugging high-gain / metal work?

That'll influence which might be the better guitar for you. The Dragon II pickups, which I've not played, might be (I think) better for the hard and heavy stuff. Somebody confirm or contradict me on this.

The 57/08s are terrific, lively PAF style pickups that work great for clean, overdriven and similar tones. I'm a huge fan - because I play clean and lightly overdriven most of the time, with periodic excursions into high-gain leads. The 57/08s do it all, and have earned their terrific reputation. They combine the best of Gibson's Classic 57s and their BurstBuckers.

Here are some interesting discussions from this board, on the topic of Dragons vs McCarty pickups:

https://forums.prsguitars.com/threads/dragon-i-vs-dragon-ii-pickups.16201/

https://forums.prsguitars.com/threads/dragon-pickups-vs-mccarty-pickups.12145/

And over at TGP, if that's allowed here: https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/prs-dragon-ii-pickups.1243149/

For the guitars themselves, there's this discussion on TGP (I hope cross-posting is OK):
https://www.thegearpage.net/board/i...between-the-custom-22-and-the-mccarty.827850/

My experience with the DC 245 Ted was in comparison to a 2009 standard McCarty model, not a CU-22. I loved the Ted 245's thinner body, lighter weight and shorter scale; the 57/08s are terrific. I ended up reluctantly selling the Ted 245 because the thicker McCarty model had more bottom end that I needed for my music. It's not a knock on the Ted 245, since in a band context you might not need or want that low end (fighting the bass and drums). I recall that Ted 245 very fondly.

The Ted 245 is a wonderful guitar but it did not quite meet my musical needs - but it might meet yours. Which leads me back to: Guitars are tools. What will you use it for? Will the CU-22 or the Ted 245 - or a PRS McCarty - suit your music best?

=K
Click to expand...


Kiwi
You've gone other-level here. Thanks so much. While I like to think I play a wide range of musical styles, none of them would be considered "modern." More Jerry than Trey, more Warren Haynes than... his younger and more contemporary next generation virtuoso. While I play an EJ strat, a '52 hot rod tele and an old SG, the guitar that best meets the needs our current hundred or so songs is an Epiphone Sheraton II with Seth Lovers, which I really love in that guitar. They are warm and responsive and make me grab that guitar over these and others.

After reading all of the threads you links (thanks again, Kiwi. Super helpful!), I'm absolutely certain that the 57/08s are better pickups for me. Since I don't really need a trem bridge, the DC 245 should be my Captain Obvious choice. The only thing that will sway me to the CU22 Artist is the Wide/thin neck. I have pretty small hands, and the awesome sound won't be awesome if I don't love playing it. If Wide/fat feels to chunky, I may need to go with the CU22 and swap out the dragons if they don't charm my pants off.

The seller and I agreed to meet Wednesday morning, and my time will be much less with both than is ideal. I'll know what feels best in my hands pretty quickly, but it takes me some time to get dialed in with a new guitar or amp, hence my deep appreciation for the pickup breakdown. Regardless, whichever way the axe falls (word play), I'll have something else to be very thankful for this year. Contributing members have not only made me more informed, you've given me something to keep feeding my excitement while waiting for my first dance with Paul's Renown Sixstrings.

I'll send a missive when it's all done and over, and will Gratefully share a few picts by Thursday. Cheers and thank you, Kiwi, Danktat, RiverRat, LSchefman, SergiodeBlanc and the rest. You've helped a fella find his way.
 
dabedat said:
Kiwi
You've gone other-level here. Thanks so much. While I like to think I play a wide range of musical styles, none of them would be considered "modern." More Jerry than Trey, more Warren Haynes than... his younger and more contemporary next generation virtuoso. While I play an EJ strat, a '52 hot rod tele and an old SG, the guitar that best meets the needs our current hundred or so songs is an Epiphone Sheraton II with Seth Lovers, which I really love in that guitar. They are warm and responsive and make me grab that guitar over these and others.

After reading all of the threads you links (thanks again, Kiwi. Super helpful!), I'm absolutely certain that the 57/08s are better pickups for me. Since I don't really need a trem bridge, the DC 245 should be my Captain Obvious choice. The only thing that will sway me to the CU22 Artist is the Wide/thin neck. I have pretty small hands, and the awesome sound won't be awesome if I don't love playing it. If Wide/fat feels to chunky, I may need to go with the CU22 and swap out the dragons if they don't charm my pants off.

The seller and I agreed to meet Wednesday morning, and my time will be much less with both than is ideal. I'll know what feels best in my hands pretty quickly, but it takes me some time to get dialed in with a new guitar or amp, hence my deep appreciation for the pickup breakdown. Regardless, whichever way the axe falls (word play), I'll have something else to be very thankful for this year. Contributing members have not only made me more informed, you've given me something to keep feeding my excitement while waiting for my first dance with Paul's Renown Sixstrings.

I'll send a missive when it's all done and over, and will Gratefully share a few picts by Thursday. Cheers and thank you, Kiwi, Danktat, RiverRat, LSchefman, SergiodeBlanc and the rest. You've helped a fella find his way.
Click to expand...
TREY you say?!?!? I am at 54 shows at this point. Which, out of my circle of friends is kind of a small number. Can't say that I can play the way he plays, but I can BS a few of the songs so that at least you can recognize them.

Also, I am 5'5" tall and my hands are proportionate. Wide fat is my favorite of all the neck profiles that PRS makes. Part of that is because of all of the ES335 [copies] I have been playing since my teen age years. I still have a dot studio to this day. And a hand made 335 type guitar that my luthier traded me for a half a sleeve of tattoo work. You will be able to play it. Trust me on that. And like I said, I am a custom 22 lover.....but just from the pix on the guy's ads, I might go McCarty out of those two (but only playing it will really let you know what to do).

Did I mention PIX by any chance?.......lol
 
dabedat said:
You've helped a fella find his way.
Click to expand...

Just paying it forward. Over the years, so many people here and on other boards have helped point me in the right direction.

Speaking of which, you do seem to be aimed correctly. The 57/08s are what you want, but they can be added later to the guitar that you really feel the most comfortable with.

It will be the guitar that calls you by your secret name. You'll know.

=K
 
In the end, it was as easy a choice as could be.

The CU22 was a fine guitar -- well loved and well played, with a brand new fret job to make up for the years in hand. I picked it up, played it unplugged a few minutes, and thought. "Damn nice guitar. Not sure I'd trade a tele and an SG for it, but a damn nice guitar."

Opened The Ted, and as soon as I put my hands on it, I knew. I played it for about 30 seconds, but I already had made up my mind (it helps that I know the dealer's guitar tech, who is amazing and said both were great players, not a thing wrong with either).

While I've only had about an hour on it amplified, here are my first impressions:
Sustain. Holy Shiites this guitar has sustain. I don't know how much of it is the 57/08s, and how much is just perfection in materials and craftsmanship, but it blows away my LP. SG, and EJ strat. I hit the low E string kept looking at the guitar thinking, "Okay, it'll stop any minute.... Any minute now...." It was like I had hold of a magic guitar with some sort of gyroscopic infinity feature.
Neck. I was concerned that my 5'5" frame and Jimmy Dean sausage link fingers would make the Wide/Fat too big in my hands. Thanks again to Danktat -- who in addition to having similar musical tastes is also a Small But Mighty player -- for telling me that it wouldn't feel too big in my hands. It doesn't. I also think that the extra beef in the neck must add to some of that magical sustain that is still beyond my comprehension
Bridge. I love the bridge. I'm finding that it's really easy to wrap my left pinky around it to coax more sound out of the guitar with the right hand, similar to the ashtray bridge on the tele I just parted with, but better as the pinky wrap is just so natural and effective. It's where my finger naturally falls, and it's a bonus feature I wasn't expecting. Volume knob is also a nice surprise and it is way more accessible than other guitars, and swells are easier with this than the tele (which clearly was the easiest of my other guitars)
Feel. The entire guitar, including strings, is 7 pounds 5 ounces. Yup. It weighs less than my firstborn. It feels as if it's made of balsa wood. I cannot emphasize enough how strange it feels to have something so light make so much noise. The weight of a guitar has never bothered me, even my super heavy LP. I just equated the weight with sound and was fine with it. What I've realized is that weight does not necessarily equate to sound, and I can be way more active playing the thing without it hanging on the strap all the time. (Again, that pinky hook of the bridge adds a great deal to this end).
Sound. Since I've only had it plugged in for some preliminary messing around, I'll hold off on this until I get some real committed time this weekend.

Thanks again to the good people of this forum for getting me here, and for making it very easy to trust my gut.

I still can't post pictures. I think I may need to post or comment on others' threads first. Until then, you can see it if you go back to the first page of this thread. It's a keeper.
 
dabedat said:
In the end, it was as easy a choice as could be.

The CU22 was a fine guitar -- well loved and well played, with a brand new fret job to make up for the years in hand. I picked it up, played it unplugged a few minutes, and thought. "Damn nice guitar. Not sure I'd trade a tele and an SG for it, but a damn nice guitar."

Opened The Ted, and as soon as I put my hands on it, I knew. I played it for about 30 seconds, but I already had made up my mind (it helps that I know the dealer's guitar tech, who is amazing and said both were great players, not a thing wrong with either).

While I've only had about an hour on it amplified, here are my first impressions:
Sustain. Holy Shiites this guitar has sustain. I don't know how much of it is the 57/08s, and how much is just perfection in materials and craftsmanship, but it blows away my LP. SG, and EJ strat. I hit the low E string kept looking at the guitar thinking, "Okay, it'll stop any minute.... Any minute now...." It was like I had hold of a magic guitar with some sort of gyroscopic infinity feature.
Neck. I was concerned that my 5'5" frame and Jimmy Dean sausage link fingers would make the Wide/Fat too big in my hands. Thanks again to Danktat -- who in addition to having similar musical tastes is also a Small But Mighty player -- for telling me that it wouldn't feel too big in my hands. It doesn't. I also think that the extra beef in the neck must add to some of that magical sustain that is still beyond my comprehension
Bridge. I love the bridge. I'm finding that it's really easy to wrap my left pinky around it to coax more sound out of the guitar with the right hand, similar to the ashtray bridge on the tele I just parted with, but better as the pinky wrap is just so natural and effective. It's where my finger naturally falls, and it's a bonus feature I wasn't expecting. Volume knob is also a nice surprise and it is way more accessible than other guitars, and swells are easier with this than the tele (which clearly was the easiest of my other guitars)
Feel. The entire guitar, including strings, is 7 pounds 5 ounces. Yup. It weighs less than my firstborn. It feels as if it's made of balsa wood. I cannot emphasize enough how strange it feels to have something so light make so much noise. The weight of a guitar has never bothered me, even my super heavy LP. I just equated the weight with sound and was fine with it. What I've realized is that weight does not necessarily equate to sound, and I can be way more active playing the thing without it hanging on the strap all the time. (Again, that pinky hook of the bridge adds a great deal to this end).
Sound. Since I've only had it plugged in for some preliminary messing around, I'll hold off on this until I get some real committed time this weekend.

Thanks again to the good people of this forum for getting me here, and for making it very easy to trust my gut.

I still can't post pictures. I think I may need to post or comment on others' threads first. Until then, you can see it if you go back to the first page of this thread. It's a keeper.
Click to expand...


Glad you found the one. She will serve you well I am sure.

As far as picture posting, you can't just post to the board if that is what you are trying to do. You have to post the picture to some other site, like facebook, photobucket, imagevent, etc.....then, copy and paste the link to the picture from wherever you posted it in the popup space that comes up when you click the symbol at the top of the posting screen that looks like a photo print. You have plenty enough posts to do that. :)
 
dabedat said:
In the end, it was as easy a choice as could be.

The CU22 was a fine guitar -- well loved and well played, with a brand new fret job to make up for the years in hand. I picked it up, played it unplugged a few minutes, and thought. "Damn nice guitar. Not sure I'd trade a tele and an SG for it, but a damn nice guitar."

Opened The Ted, and as soon as I put my hands on it, I knew. I played it for about 30 seconds, but I already had made up my mind (it helps that I know the dealer's guitar tech, who is amazing and said both were great players, not a thing wrong with either).

While I've only had about an hour on it amplified, here are my first impressions:
Sustain. Holy Shiites this guitar has sustain. I don't know how much of it is the 57/08s, and how much is just perfection in materials and craftsmanship, but it blows away my LP. SG, and EJ strat. I hit the low E string kept looking at the guitar thinking, "Okay, it'll stop any minute.... Any minute now...." It was like I had hold of a magic guitar with some sort of gyroscopic infinity feature.
Neck. I was concerned that my 5'5" frame and Jimmy Dean sausage link fingers would make the Wide/Fat too big in my hands. Thanks again to Danktat -- who in addition to having similar musical tastes is also a Small But Mighty player -- for telling me that it wouldn't feel too big in my hands. It doesn't. I also think that the extra beef in the neck must add to some of that magical sustain that is still beyond my comprehension
Bridge. I love the bridge. I'm finding that it's really easy to wrap my left pinky around it to coax more sound out of the guitar with the right hand, similar to the ashtray bridge on the tele I just parted with, but better as the pinky wrap is just so natural and effective. It's where my finger naturally falls, and it's a bonus feature I wasn't expecting. Volume knob is also a nice surprise and it is way more accessible than other guitars, and swells are easier with this than the tele (which clearly was the easiest of my other guitars)
Feel. The entire guitar, including strings, is 7 pounds 5 ounces. Yup. It weighs less than my firstborn. It feels as if it's made of balsa wood. I cannot emphasize enough how strange it feels to have something so light make so much noise. The weight of a guitar has never bothered me, even my super heavy LP. I just equated the weight with sound and was fine with it. What I've realized is that weight does not necessarily equate to sound, and I can be way more active playing the thing without it hanging on the strap all the time. (Again, that pinky hook of the bridge adds a great deal to this end).
Sound. Since I've only had it plugged in for some preliminary messing around, I'll hold off on this until I get some real committed time this weekend.

Thanks again to the good people of this forum for getting me here, and for making it very easy to trust my gut.

I still can't post pictures. I think I may need to post or comment on others' threads first. Until then, you can see it if you go back to the first page of this thread. It's a keeper.
Click to expand...
Congrats!
 
dabedat said:
In the end, it was as easy a choice as could be.

The CU22 was a fine guitar -- well loved and well played, with a brand new fret job to make up for the years in hand. I picked it up, played it unplugged a few minutes, and thought. "Damn nice guitar. Not sure I'd trade a tele and an SG for it, but a damn nice guitar."

Opened The Ted, and as soon as I put my hands on it, I knew. I played it for about 30 seconds, but I already had made up my mind (it helps that I know the dealer's guitar tech, who is amazing and said both were great players, not a thing wrong with either).

While I've only had about an hour on it amplified, here are my first impressions:
Sustain. Holy Shiites this guitar has sustain. I don't know how much of it is the 57/08s, and how much is just perfection in materials and craftsmanship, but it blows away my LP. SG, and EJ strat. I hit the low E string kept looking at the guitar thinking, "Okay, it'll stop any minute.... Any minute now...." It was like I had hold of a magic guitar with some sort of gyroscopic infinity feature.
Neck. I was concerned that my 5'5" frame and Jimmy Dean sausage link fingers would make the Wide/Fat too big in my hands. Thanks again to Danktat -- who in addition to having similar musical tastes is also a Small But Mighty player -- for telling me that it wouldn't feel too big in my hands. It doesn't. I also think that the extra beef in the neck must add to some of that magical sustain that is still beyond my comprehension
Bridge. I love the bridge. I'm finding that it's really easy to wrap my left pinky around it to coax more sound out of the guitar with the right hand, similar to the ashtray bridge on the tele I just parted with, but better as the pinky wrap is just so natural and effective. It's where my finger naturally falls, and it's a bonus feature I wasn't expecting. Volume knob is also a nice surprise and it is way more accessible than other guitars, and swells are easier with this than the tele (which clearly was the easiest of my other guitars)
Feel. The entire guitar, including strings, is 7 pounds 5 ounces. Yup. It weighs less than my firstborn. It feels as if it's made of balsa wood. I cannot emphasize enough how strange it feels to have something so light make so much noise. The weight of a guitar has never bothered me, even my super heavy LP. I just equated the weight with sound and was fine with it. What I've realized is that weight does not necessarily equate to sound, and I can be way more active playing the thing without it hanging on the strap all the time. (Again, that pinky hook of the bridge adds a great deal to this end).
Sound. Since I've only had it plugged in for some preliminary messing around, I'll hold off on this until I get some real committed time this weekend.

Thanks again to the good people of this forum for getting me here, and for making it very easy to trust my gut.

I still can't post pictures. I think I may need to post or comment on others' threads first. Until then, you can see it if you go back to the first page of this thread. It's a keeper.
Click to expand...

Sweet! Teds rock!
 
Good choice! I had a Ted DC245, ended up trading it for an MC58 - only real difference was scale and headstock shape. But, the 57/08s? Those are the (IMHO) GREATEST pickup ever made.
 
g.wizz said:
Congrats, welcome to the Ted Club, soon enough that this guitar is wrapped with fairy dust.
Click to expand...

I'm SO glad you wrote this. Everything about this guitar has felt otherworldly and magical.
I had about 8 hours with it yesterday, and the guys I play with literally said that we had added a new member to the band. It made that much of a difference in how I played. IT sounded great through every amp, but I really dug into the HW AC 15, and while I tend to play relatively cleanly most of the time, I spent hours running it through a Fulltone Mosfet and an OCD pedal, and just washed myself in gain. Everything was so intuitive and affirming, as if I had been secretly practicing in my sleep and woke up to surprise myself with all that I could now play. I'm faster, but my tone is light years beyond what my fingers were producing on th SG or the tele or the strat or the Les Paul, or, or, or...
The guitar is SO MUCH MORE than the sum of its parts -- which, of course, are pretty amazing as parts. I have never, ever taken to a guitar so quickly and easily. It feels as if I've been playing this guitar for 20 years, yet I have fewer than 10 hours on it. Both volume and tone are super responsive and their position on the guitar is intuitive. Sounds are dynamic and bringing me into territory that I didn't know existed.

I had no idea that I could connect with a guitar like this, especially without years of time with it. I am floored. Are all Teds this good, or have I stumbled onto one of those truly magical accidents where everything has just aligned with Swiss watch precision???
 
Well, it so happens that I'm playing on my Ted right now and my AP513 is hanging on the wall looking with envy to the point that its faded blue jean color is turning to pale green :D. Until I got this Ted I've never played a hard tail guitar before, and the moment I held it I forgot about the trem arm completely, so I guess those limited edition Ted conjure tones from way past and maje us tingle with joy.
Have a blast dabedat.
 
dabedat said:
I'm SO glad you wrote this. Everything about this guitar has felt otherworldly and magical.
I had about 8 hours with it yesterday, and the guys I play with literally said that we had added a new member to the band. It made that much of a difference in how I played. IT sounded great through every amp, but I really dug into the HW AC 15, and while I tend to play relatively cleanly most of the time, I spent hours running it through a Fulltone Mosfet and an OCD pedal, and just washed myself in gain. Everything was so intuitive and affirming, as if I had been secretly practicing in my sleep and woke up to surprise myself with all that I could now play. I'm faster, but my tone is light years beyond what my fingers were producing on th SG or the tele or the strat or the Les Paul, or, or, or...
The guitar is SO MUCH MORE than the sum of its parts -- which, of course, are pretty amazing as parts. I have never, ever taken to a guitar so quickly and easily. It feels as if I've been playing this guitar for 20 years, yet I have fewer than 10 hours on it. Both volume and tone are super responsive and their position on the guitar is intuitive. Sounds are dynamic and bringing me into territory that I didn't know existed.

I had no idea that I could connect with a guitar like this, especially without years of time with it. I am floored. Are all Teds this good, or have I stumbled onto one of those truly magical accidents where everything has just aligned with Swiss watch precision???
Click to expand...
Yep, that is what it feels like when you have found YOUR guitar.

To be honest, I have never played a [core] PRS that didn't give me the feeling that it was more than just the sum of its parts. That is the "thing" that to me, makes Paul Reed Smith what it is. I will always have other guitars simply because I love guitars of all types. But, something about a PRS that makes you just "understand" what it is that you are holding.

Glad you have found YOURS.
 
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